Unintentional Reactions
by NerdoOfTheFiction
Summary: This is a continuation from manga chapter 294, clearly spoilers. What Gokudera does the night of Yamamoto's attack and how he copes with his new hatred of the man who hurt him. Can Tsuna stop him before he goes too far?
1. The Man Who Hurt Yamamoto

Gokudera was back at Namimori, down at the baseball field, retracing the steps he knew Yamamoto took nearly every day. How could Yamamoto be the one to get hurt? Out of the Vongola guardians, he was the most innocent. He was the most amiable, the kindest and happiest. He didn't deserve this. Yamamoto's injuries were too much for Gokudera; he knew Tsuna could hear his voice shaking when he called him. He could probably tell he was more scared than he had ever been in his life. Gokudera, the strong Storm guardian, the one who wouldn't admit his friendship with Yamamoto even at gun point, was struggling with his emotions harder than in any battle he ever fought in his life.

He swore back in the hospital that whoever did this to their beloved Rain guardian would never be forgiven. Gokudera wanted to find this man, to torture him, and finally end his life. He would make him bleed more blood than Yamamoto had.

Gokudera had stopped walking and leaned against the locker room door, looking up at the dark sky and the faint twinkling stars. He knew it was stupid to be back here after Reborn had already searched the place and found, no doubt, the only evidence left; but he would search some more. He also knew it was stupid to be here _alone _after the recent attack; but he didn't care. Gokudera had to find this man for all the pain and torment he had caused.

With his eyes closed hard, fighting back images of the blood and faces full of hurt, Gokudera heard three footsteps. His eyes shot open, dynamite stick ready in his hand. Friend or foe? Gokudera didn't have enough time to wait for the question to be answered. It was dark; Gokudera was not in a safe place. He would not, however, allow himself to be hurt; having two of his closest friends hurt would cause the Tenth immense pain.

From the corner of his eye, a shadow moved.

"Who's there?" Gokudera didn't yell, but his question was stern; his voice full of hatred.

No answer. Foe.

Gokudera was not so blind with anger that he wasn't thinking rationally; he opened the door to the locker room and slipped inside. Fighting out in the dark was truly stupid; if the enemy wanted him, he could follow him inside where the light was. Gokudera only hoped that this wasn't allowing the man to escape without a fight.

Gokudera's cell phone rang; he nearly had a heart attack. After regaining his breath, he slid his phone from his pocket and looked at the number: it was the Tenth. Gokudera bit his lip, weighing his options, and decided to answer it, but softly. "Hello?"

"_Gokudera! Where are you?"_

"I'm..I'm at Namimori."

"_What? Why? Are you alone?"_

Gokudera hesitated, "Yes." He didn't want to say he wasn't because some enemy was outside probably itching to greatly injure another Vongola member.

"_Please come back, Gokudera."_

Gokudera bit his lip again; Tsuna's voice was too full of concern and pleading that he didn't _want _to refuse. He wasn't that cold. But could he really leave this man, who could be the one who hurt Yamamoto, at the school unpunished? "Okay."

"_Please be careful on your way back. Call me if there's any trouble."_

"Of course, Tenth."

Grateful that Tsuna didn't catch on to the softness of his voice, Gokudera turned away from the wall. He thought for a moment what would be the safest exit from the campus, surely not out by the baseball field. He wandered from the locker room into the halls and turned to the main entrance. Gokudera wouldn't admit he was a little uneasy with an unidentified man outside under the cover of night.

He saw the doors to the outside just ahead but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a push on one of them. Swallowing hard, his dynamite was out again. Another push, were the doors locked? Gokudera hoped so.

Between the doors, a tiny blade made itself visible. It ran up and down the crack as Gokudera watched, horrified. He backed up and took off up the stairs. This man was definitely the enemy, and most likely the man who hurt Yamamoto. On the second floor, Gokudera felt trapped. His heart was racing and he felt like he was in a horror flick. Reluctantly, he slid his cell phone from his pocket once more. He speed dialed Tsuna but didn't feel comforted when the lines connected.

"_Gokudera?"_

"T-Tenth, someone's here." Gokudera scowled at his voice when it cracked and shook.

"_What?" _Tsuna was clearly worried, _"We're coming, Gokudera. Are you okay?"_

"Yes, I'm fine."

"_Don't hang up, okay?"_

"Fine."

Gokudera held the phone to his ear still and walked away from the stair case. He hadn't heard anything since the doors, but he didn't know whether to be afraid or relieved. Then he heard it.

Behind him, in the biology room, there was scratching. Not nails on a chalk board, but blades on windows. Gokudera felt petrified and his eyes widened. This was so unlike him, he shouldn't be afraid. He forced himself to turn around and peer into the room, gripping his bomb with such force it could have snapped in two.

No one was in there.

But there was something scratched on the windows—a rough sketch of the Vongola crest. But it was crossed out and next to it was written "Overthrow Vongola".

"Shit."

"_Gokudera? What's wrong?"_ Tsuna's voice was so full of alarm, Gokudera answered without thinking.

"Our crest is on the window, scratched out, with 'Overthrow Vongola' written next to it."

"_Where can you go that's safe? We're minutes away." _Gokudera knew that Tsuna was panicking now.

"Don't come. I'll get out and I'll come to you. Just…don't come."

"_No, Gokudera! You'll get hurt, we're coming."_

"Please, Tenth, if you come, there's a huge chance of you getting hurt. I can handle this."

"_No!"_

"I can handle this!" His voice raised just a little, and he knew it was a mistake.

He felt a sharp pain in his right knee and fell to the ground instantly. Cursing himself, he looked down to see a tiny throwing knife deep in his skin. Before he could get up, he saw a figure turn the corner and he heard him ascend more stairs. With a new found will, Gokudera got up and ran after him. "Don't say anything, Tenth. I'm putting you on speaker and in my shirt pocket. I'm taking the upper hand."

"_Gokudera—,"_

"I'll see you in a few minutes, Tenth."

Gokudera followed and eventually ended up on the roof, watching a dark figure standing some 20 yards ahead. His fist clenched around his bomb and he felt that rage spark up again. "Are you the man who hurt Yamamoto?"

Silence, then, "No. But I work with him."

Gokudera was a little taken aback. The man vanished. Eyes wide, Gokudera looked around. He felt a rough cloth wrap around his head, acting as a blind fold. Gokudera let out a cry of surprise and jabbed his elbow backwards. Nothing.

He reached up to remove the blindfold but stopped when he felt a cool blade at his neck. "No, no, little Vongola. I intend to maintain my upper hand here."

He pressed the blade into the base of Gokudera's neck, just lightly enough for it to bleed, and slid it back a few inches. Gokudera didn't dare to move, in fear of slitting his throat. The blade was removed and the man seemed to have vanished again. Placing his hand over his neck, Gokudera felt the wetness of his own blood. He listened as carefully as he could, and when he heard a noise, he threw a bomb.

"Oh, ouch. You actually hit me a little bit there."

Gokudera snarled and went to throw another, but was struck in the side with what he assumed was another small knife. Biting down on his lip, he drew his hand down to his side and felt for a knife. It was there. He felt another pierce his shoulder, arm, and finally the right side of his chest. Crying in pain, he fell back; but not before he could throw another three bombs.

Laying, hurting all over, he Gokudera felt himself being lifted from the ground by his shirt. "No, Vongola. This is an attack, not a battle."

Gokudera felt himself being thrown and flinched when he hit the concrete hard. Where was he? Maybe above the door? His legs were dangling off some ledge, but so was his head. Yes; this must be the roof's door way. He forced himself to sit up. Reaching again for the blindfold, he heard the man say, "Watch your legs now." And he pulled the door open sending pain shooting up from his knee. Gokudera cried out again.

The man must have been standing on the door with great balance, because Gokudera felt a foot on his chest pushing him back down. "Don't get up, Vongola."

The man continued to press down on Gokudera's chest, making it hard to breathe, cracking a few of his ribs. Gokudera wanted to scream out in pain, but he couldn't find the air or voice to. He sincerely hoped his cell phone hadn't been destroyed in the process of his torture. As quickly as he could manage, Gokudera whipped out two dynamites and threw them to where he thought the man's face and body were. "Bastard!"

At least one of them must have hit, because Gokudera felt the sting and heard the cussing. The man's foot left his chest and the Storm guardian was left gasping for breath.

"I'm trying to decide what would be best for my amusement," Gokudera found it impossible to trace where the voice was coming from with his entire body pounding with ache. "Killing you now, or letting Vongola find you and watching their precious Storm guardian die in their arms."

Gokudera lay atop the doorway for what seemed like decades. His body was done, he felt like he was burning. Each and every one of his wounds throbbed with his heart, and because his head was dangling, blood from his neck was finding its way to the back of his head and dripped to the concrete below.

Not sure if he was unconscious or awake-not sure of how much time went by—he heard his name being called by familiar voices. Instead of feeling alone, he felt surrounded. He could only imagine what his friends were seeing: Gokudera, lying above them, sprawled across the small hut of a doorway with blood seeping from his wounds; knives sticking out of him; head hanging back, blindfolded. _I'm sorry, Tenth._


	2. What Tsuna Finds

"Gokudera?" Tsuna's voice sounded more alarmed than when he discovered Yamamoto was injured. This, however, could very well be because he himself hadn't found Yamamoto lying on the ground; but he was now staring at Gokudera, the first to find him, absolutely petrified and hoping the Storm guardian would respond.

Ryohei came to the doorway and ducked beneath Gokudera's dangling legs. He took a few steps back to get the full view, jaw hanging open. "This guy is dangerous, to the extreme."

Tsuna wanted to climb up to his friend, wanted to rouse him awake, wanted to make him respond somehow; but all he could do was stare. He heard Ryohei dial three numbers on his cell phone and ask for an ambulance. Tsuna walked around the doorway to where Gokudera's head was hung back slightly. He noticed the slice in his neck and the red of his blood mixed with his friend's sliver locks. Shaking, Tsuna placed two fingers to Gokudera's neck, desperate to find a pulse. When he did, his relief mixed with his grief and shock combined to make him feel even worse.

"Gokudera!" Tsuna jumped and hauled himself up to join his friend on the roof of the door way. He peered into Gokudera's face and beyond it, down at the ground. He noticed a small pool of blood from Storm's bleeding neck wound and unconsciously checked his shoes. Sure enough, Gokudera's blood was smeared on the bottom of Tsuna's shoes. Tsuna felt sicker than ever.

Tsuna noticed the knives protruding from his friend's body and went as pale as Gokudera. "Gokudera, you've got to wake up!"

"Sawada, the ambulance is on its way. I know this is serious, to the extreme, but you've got to remain calm!" Ryohei's voice lacked demand but was sincere and gentle. Clearly, he was trying to stay strong for Tsuna. Inside, he was an emotional disaster. To be present for both findings of the two injured guardians was…unexplainably horrific. Although Yamamoto shed more blood, Gokudera was left with weapons _inside _of him, sticking out from him. Ryohei shuddered with disgust.

Tsuna was slowly coming out of shock, but was surprised to find his face wet with tears. How long had he been crying? He held his head between his hands and wanted to scream. His two closest friends were probably dying as cried. He doubled over and rested his head on Gokudera's midsection. Feeling Storm's breathing only made Tsuna cry harder; he would do anything to save his friends—anything at all. Why was this happening? Who could be next?

He was still crying when strong hands grabbed him around the waist and started pulling him away. "No! Please don't make me leave him! Gokudera!"  
Ryohei shushed him and held him by the shoulders tightly, daring to make eye contact. "Sawada, listen to me! Stop your extreme crying, or you won't get to ride with him in the ambulance. Do you want him to wake up and see you like this?" Ryohei's voice was rougher now, a little louder.

Tsuna stopped, afraid of the coming events. He didn't want to hear what the doctors had to say, unless they say Gokudera will live; but he wanted frantically to stay with him. He spun around, loose now from Ryohei's grip, and found Gokudera already lying in a stretcher. He looked paler than before and his face betrayed no sign of life.

In an anxious silence, Tsuna followed the medical staff down the flights of stairs and out to the ambulance. He couldn't comprehend anything but the white clothes of the men in front of him. He hoped Ryohei was following; could that man hurt him too? Tsuna's eyes darted in every direction before finding the Sun guardian close behind. With a sigh of relief, Tsuna stepped into the back of the vehicle.

The events were becoming even more real as he took in each and every gadget and machine in the back of the ambulance. He knew not what anything was. For the fist time, Tsuna looked at the face of the doctor, afraid to see signs of despair. He wouldn't meet his eyes, but the doctor injected some kind of liquid into Gokudera's arm and hooked him up to an IV. Tsuna closed his eyes as the doctor struck Gokudera's vein with the needle. He was afraid to open them again.

"T-Tenth?"

Tsuna's heart immediately began racing and his eyes shot open. "Gokudera? You're awake!"

Gokudera kept his eyes closed after three failed attempts at looking at Tsuna. "I'm s-sorry."

"No, no!" Tsuna tried to keep his voice low, although the franticness kept trying to push through, "Gokudera, don't apologize. How do you feel?"

"Pretty shitty. I-It's my f-fault, though."

"No, Gokudera, stop." As afraid as Tsuna was for Gokudera's life, he was getting a little annoyed. Gokudera always tried to take the blame.

"I-If I hadn't—,"

"Stop. You were only being a caring friend, investigating Yamamoto's attack. If that man hadn't attacked him, neither of you would be hurt right now nor would you be trying to apologize. It's not _your _fault; it's _his._" Tsuna surprised himself with saying something that not only made sense, but also with a convincing determination.

Gokudera had his eyes half open and was watching Tsuna with a sad but grateful look. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let his head fall to the side against the stretcher. Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed, "Gokudera?"

The soon-to-be mafia boss sat back and watched his guardian. He felt relieved Gokudera had woken up, but he was curious when the next time he'd see those green eyes would be.

And Yamamoto? Tsuna wondered how he would take the news assuming he wakes up any time soon. The severity of the situation was hitting Tsuna hard. Realizing for the first time Ryohei was sitting right next to him, Tsuna looked at him like a child for help.

Ryohei stared back intensely. "What we should do, is keep all the guardians together until the ceremony."

Tsuna nodded and buried his face in his hands. He needed sleep, but there was no way he could until his friends were declared out of harm. He gripped Gokudera's hand and Gokudera's fingers moved ever so slightly, giving Tsuna hope. He feared what awaited him back at the hospital with Yamamoto. He even feared what was going on outside right now. Where was this man? Was he just going to keep hurting until he finally kills? Tsuna found himself shaking again; too scary.

Looking at Gokudera, the knives and the split in his neck, Tsuna didn't want to know what he experienced. He would, of course, have to ask him. Reborn would demand it.

Tsuna got two of his friends hurt in one night. He looked out the back window, still grasping Gokudera's cold hand, and let his fear envision the enemy at every corner just waiting for some part of the Vongola family to walk by. Tsuna found it hard to imagine anyone he knew to be safe, as much as he'd like to believe only the guardians were in danger. _When does this end?_


	3. Wounded Family

Ryohei was watching Tsuna with unblinking eyes. He wasn't sure which of his friends he should be most worried about—Yamamoto, Gokudera, or Tsuna. Tsuna definitely needs to calm down before he gets _himself_ checked into the hospital, but Yamamoto and Gokudera were the ones bloodied up in the beds.

Heaving a sigh, Ryohei bit his lip. He wasn't stupid. He knew how scary this all was, but he refused to let it get to him. It's not like his friends are dead…

Silently thanking boxing for keeping him strong, he put his hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "Have hope, Sawada."

Tsuna nodded slightly, holding Gokudera's hand tight within his grasp; it's almost as if he thinks the tighter he holds his hand, the higher his rate of survival will be. Ryohei got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. For only the third time, he allowed himself to look over Gokudera's wounds. There were obvious differences between Yamamoto's and Gokudera's attacks: Yamamoto looked dead, Gokudera looks like he's suffering; Yamamoto seemed to have lost every ounce of blood in his body, but while Gokudera lost more than he should, he still has the smallest amount of color in his cheeks; Tsuna wasn't with Yamamoto he got hurt, making Gokudera's attack all the more traumatizing. Ryohei's ability to keep his head surprised even him when he thought about how he was the one to find both of his friends seriously injured in one night.

The doctor's sudden movements pulled Ryohei from his thought. Silently, he watched as the doctor said something harshly to his partner and did something to the machine attached to Gokudera's oxygen mask. Tsuna was alarmed, "What's wrong?" His voice was shaking.

"He can't breathe," The doctor's troubled look nearly drove Tsuna over the edge.

Tsuna paled again and stared at the doctor, then down at Gokudera. Ryohei heard him call his friend's name ever so quietly and noticed him start to shake. Swallowing hard, Ryohei knew the knife protruding from Storm's chest was the reason for his shallow breathing. Ryohei also knew that no one else in the ambulance was breathing; everyone was holding their breath for Gokudera.

Feeling himself start to lose control of his calm, he gripped Tsuna's shoulder and bit down hard on his lip. He was suddenly afraid. It was as if all the events from that evening became real and hit him with a force stronger than any punch he ever took in the ring. With this realization, he resolved to relax or else become like Tsuna. Someone had to be strong, and with Gokudera unable to fill the role like usual, Ryohei knew it was up to him.

"Come on, Octopus-head, don't fail us now," Ryohei's words were inaudible to anyone but himself.

Sixteen seconds ticked by…seventeen…finally the doctor looked satisfied and fog from his breath filled Gokudera's oxygen mask. Ryohei and Tsuna let their breaths out at the same time. Tsuna was doubled over again, holding Gokudera's hand to his head. Ryohei assumed he was crying, but didn't know for sure.

Ryohei wanted this night to end. How long could it continue making them suffer like this? He realized then that he had no inkling of what time it was. It had been late when Gokudera took off alone, but not past midnight. How long was he alone? How long was he under attack? Ryohei was ashamed to find he didn't have a clue.

When they arrived at the hospital, not a moment passed that Ryohei didn't feel in the way. The doctors had Gokudera out and rushed inside in mere seconds, leaving Tsuna and Ryohei to stare after their friend anxiously. The two stood there until they were told to leave; neither of them could think straight and both were in shock from the night's events. Somehow, they managed to find their way to where the rest of the family was waiting and received news that Yamamoto was out of surgery and resting in bed. Of course, he was not allowed visitors quite yet.

Tsuna sank to the ground, overwhelmed with all that had happened. Reborn watched him closely and Ryohei wondered what he could have been thinking. Surely, he wouldn't say anything that could hurt their soon-to-be boss further; but he didn't look at all pleased.

Ryohei could only imagine what was going through Sawada's head; he hoped he didn't blame himself.

Within an hour, Tsuna had passed out from exhaustion. The waiting room where Ryohei, Tsuna, Reborn, Chrome, and Lambo were remaining was as silent as possible. Lambo was asleep in Chrome's arms and Reborn was lost in thought. Ryohei was standing with his fists clenched wondering how anyone could be this silent after what happened. "So we just sit here?"

Reborn looked up, "You know very well that we can't do anything. The only thing we can do is wait. You might as well sleep."

"Shouldn't we be out there looking for whoever did this?" Ryohei's voice was powerful but he kept it low so as not to wake Tsuna.

"Don't be stupid. Gokudera tried that and look what has happened to him. Learn from your fellow guardians' mistakes."

Ryohei didn't want to think of Gokudera's bold search as a mistake. He didn't want to think of him as an idiot for trying to find out who hurt his friend; but Reborn didn't see it as an act of bravery and he even seemed mad at Gokudera.

Ryohei walked over to an empty corner and placed his head against the white walls, closing his eyes hard. He wanted so bad to get a hold of whomever or whatever did this. The pain he saw in Tsuna's eyes was unbearable. Ryohei was not nearly as close to Yamamoto and Gokudera as Tsuna was, but it was hard enough for him to make it through the night. He envied Tsuna as the young boss slept slumped against a nearby wall. There had to be _something_ he could do. There was no way he could leave Tsuna alone to clean this mess up, to the extreme. He tried his best to picture himself in Tsuna's position but he knew there was no way he could ever come close to the pain his friend was feeling.

Somewhere, this evil man was lurking. Ryohei couldn't stand it. He was probably laughing about having severely injured two Vongola guardians. Ryohei's shock and fear were replaced by anger in a matter of minutes.

Catching himself, Ryohei realized this is most likely what Gokudera experienced before executing his reckless act. Reborn was right, he didn't want to follow Gokudera's path. But he couldn't just sit here either. He reflected back on the scene in the ambulance between Gokudera and Tsuna. _I have to find and hurt this man for the physical, emotional, and mental wounds he has caused my family, to the extreme._


	4. Backs Against the Wall

_What the hell?_

Blurry eyes searched the white room for any recollection of previous events. None so far. _Where am I?_

White walls; plain bed; a faint beeping sound…_Crap!_

Gokudera shot up and heard the steady beeping increase its tempo. He tore off whatever wires were taped to his skin but thought twice about the IV in his arm. He carefully pulled it out and felt himself grow dizzy. As if reality hit him hard, all the pain came rushing back to him. His chest and side burned so intensely he almost screamed aloud; he was aware of a stinging in his neck and leg; his head throbbed with the beat of his heart. Unwillingly, he fell back against the bed.

Completely engulfed in physical pain, Gokudera didn't notice Tsuna rush in after peeking through the door's window. "Gokudera! Stop; what are you doing?"

Gokudera bit his lip and again resisted screaming aloud. He kept his eyes closed to fight the headache and dizziness, but to also avoid seeing the concern on the Tenth's face. Tsuna knew his Storm guardian was reckless, but Gokudera knew Tsuna was probably wondering what possessed him to tear out an IV and every other wire monitoring his life.

Tsuna must have moved to the bed because Gokudera felt a cool hand touch his arm. "Gokudera, can you hear me? You're so warm…I'll go get a doctor."

Before Tsuna could turn, Gokudera seized his friend's arm and held him in place, "Please, d-don't."

"But—,"

"I'm fine,"

Tsuna was temporarily frozen with worry. It was probably around four in the morning by now; the sun wasn't up and the stars were still out. Gokudera was brought in only a few hours ago; it didn't even seem possible that he should be awake anytime soon. But here he was, looking at Tsuna with hurt green eyes. "No, Gokudera." Tsuna was looking down, his voice barely a whisper, "You're not fine. Please let them take care of you; I can't lose a friend like you."

Gokudera was taken aback by the Tenth's softness and almost gave in, but there was too much Gokudera wanted to do to allow himself time to fully recover. Gokudera forced out the one name that had been on his mind all night, "Yamamoto?"

"Still unconscious," Tsuna seemed reluctant to speak on the subject, "Still not allowed to see him."

Reborn came in with his familiar, easygoing walk. "No-good Tsuna, is this how you protect your guardians?"

Tsuna stared at Reborn with hurt and confusion in his eyes. "I've already accepted this is my fault," He said barely above a whisper.

"Tenth," Gokudera said with as much a stern voice as possible, "It is the guardians' duty to protect you, not the other way around. I can't speak for Yamamoto, but for me, the injuries you see are my own fault."

Reborn hopped onto the bed, looking over Gokudera. "Either you heal quickly, or you're good at concealing your pain, Gokudera. Be quiet, Tsuna needs to learn to take responsibility."

"But, Reborn-,"

"No," He looked back over at Tsuna, "So far, you've done exactly what a _friend_ would do in a situation like this: you've cried, taken the blame, argued, realized just how much these two mean to you," Reborn motioned to Gokudera and in the direction of Yamamoto's room. "But they're more than just your friends, they're your guardians. You're in the mafia. You need to start taking actions like a Mafia boss; what are you going to do with the ceremony in a few hours? Did you ask Gokudera about what happened? Do I need to do everything?"

Tsuna was dumbfounded, Gokudera was dismayed. How could Reborn treat their boss like this? "Reborn, it was my fault—,"

"Shut up," Reborn silence Gokudera without even looking at him.

Gokudera grimaced for both the pain and the words. As much as he wanted to believe Tsuna would become a great boss, Gokudera knew Reborn would always have more authority and would always be the better leader. He couldn't help but feel a little responsible for Reborn's scolding of Tsuna. If he hadn't gone to the school, he wouldn't be hurt and Tsuna wouldn't be blamed.

Tsuna took a moment to take in what Reborn said, then looked at Gokudera in the eyes. "What happened at the school, Gokudera?"

Creases formed on the Storm's forehead as he thought back. "Everything was fine until just before you called me the first time. I saw a shadow move across the baseball field, so I went into the locker room."

Tsuna shuddered at the thought of Gokudera in that position, but Reborn kept a steady gaze.

Gokudera continued, "When I got off the phone with you, I went out into the hall. Before I could reach the exit, someone pushed on the door..." Gokudera's eyes lost focus as he continued, "He stuck a blade through the crack. I called you. Then, in the biology room, there was scratching. When I looked in, I saw the Vongola crest etched on the window, crossed out, and written next to it was "Overthrow Vongola". That's when that guy first hit me."

"That's when you tried to take the offense," Tsuna guessed."

"Yeah," Gokudera's eyes refocused and he looked from Reborn to Tsuna quickly, "I put the phone in the pocket and ran after I saw the guy take off. I followed him to the roof, I never saw his face. He blindfolded me, told me he wasn't the man who hurt Yamamoto, but he worked with him. He pressed a blade to my neck so I couldn't fight back. After that, it was all him," Gokudera closed his eyes and clenched his fists, "I had no chance if I wanted to live."

Tsuna knew Gokudera had spared the details, and he was grateful for it. Even just that small summary was too much to take in. Reborn was deep in thought and didn't seem the least frightened. "Any clue as to who he was?"

"Actually," Gokudera looked up, "It was a familiar voice."

Tsuna gasped and forgot his fear, overwhelmed with curiosity, "Who?"

"He belonged to the Shimon family."

Even Reborn showed signs of surprise at this, "Is that so?"

Tsuna was speechless and he let his jaw drop. "No way, that can't be. I thought they were our allies, our friends…"

"I thought so, too, Tenth." Gokudera's jaw was set, Tsuna saw he wasn't lying.

Silence ensued; Tsuna felt like his back was against a wall. He knew Reborn wasn't kidding when he told him not to trust anyone, but this was all too real. Tsuna started to realize that in the Mafia, the only ones you could trust are your family. But even surrounded by trustworthy guardians, Tsuna felt completely alone.

Gokudera noticed some of his wounds had started bleeding again, blood seeped through the bandages. Hoping no one noticed, he pulled the blankets over his chest. He fought to ignore the pain and to keep silent. He was determined not to worry the Tenth anymore and to help him in any way he needed.

"No one is safe," Tsuna decided. "Like real family, we all _have _to stay together. At least until well after the ceremony," He looked at Reborn for confirmation and received a nod. "So, as the boss, I have to be 100% sure of where my family is at all times, right?"

Reborn nodded again, slightly relieved Tsuna was showing some initiative.

"Gokudera, please stay in bed; at least for now. Okay?" Tsuna's voice was soft but demanding.

"Alright, Tenth."

"Please get some rest. I'm going to get a doctor and I'll be right outside in the waiting room."

Gokudera remained silent; he had nothing more to say. He felt like his back was against a wall and he was cornered. He couldn't help wonder about the ceremony and even more about Yamamoto. He averted his gaze to the window as Reborn and Tsuna stepped out. He wanted desperately to do something, anything but wait here for a doctor to tell him he reopened his wounds; he already knew that. _All any of us can do is wait._


	5. The End of the Night

"The best thing we can do is keep the guardians together, to the extreme," Ryohei declared when Tsuna related Gokudera's story to everyone.

"Yes, but if the Shimon family knows we're here, what's stopping them from attacking?" Chrome asked quietly.

"She has a point," Tsuna looked down, pondering on his new perspective.

"So we can't stay here," Ryohei looked at Tsuna with hard and determined eyes, summing up his thoughts, "But Yamamoto and Gokudera need the medical attention extremely bad. None of us are doctors. We need to find a place _with_ one."

"Dr. Shamal won't help; either that or it will take too much persuading than we have time for." Tsuna felt as if the weight on his shoulders was close to crushing him entirely. How could he decide the fates of his friends? Is it even close to safe to be taking them away from the hospital like that? No. "We're not even allowed to _see_ Yamamoto yet."

Ryohei sat in the nearest chair, rubbing his temples. "I'll go with whatever you think is best, Sawada. It is imperative that our friends return to health."

Tsuna closed his eyes. If this is what being a Mafia boss is like, Tsuna didn't want any part of it. There's no way he could make decisions as severe as this one like this every day. He's already close to breaking from just this one. He relished the thought that his decision might end up in hurting his friends further.

"Shamal will help," Tsuna and Ryohei turned their heads sharply to see the owner of the voice, "He doesn't handle things like this everyday, but knows a guy who does. He'll only be able to provide tools and a location; his friend will provide the care."

"Gokudera! What are you doing out of bed?" Tsuna was horrified; Gokudera's clothes were on and he was walking out of his room, gripping the door frame to steady himself. His shirt was unbuttoned, thrown on just for the sake of wearing something. But what Tsuna noticed more than anything was the blood seeping to his bandages on his chest.

"Please, Tenth, trust that I'm well enough to be moving. I won't intentionally harm myself to the point of it being fatal," Gokudera looked solemnly into Tsuna's worried brown eyes.

Tsuna looked at him curiously, but only for a moment; the lights went out.

Chrome gasped and squeezed Lambo to her chest. "Boss?"

"I'm right here," Tsuna replied, voice suggesting panic. "Is everyone alright?"

Everyone voiced their yeses and there was a horrible scratching noise. Tsuna tried to locate it, but he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Reborn explained, "Whoever did this turned off the emergency lights as well. Do something, Tsuna."

Tsuna tried to say something, but couldn't—nothing came out. Ryohei was in his boxing stance, untouchable. There was no way that, if this was an attack, he would be the next to go down. His ring began to glow with the orange sun flame and it shed a small bit of light in the room; just enough to see each other's outlines.

"Good thinking, Ryohei," Reborn complimented.

"Tenth," Gokudera's voice had a small shake to it, "That's the same scratching from the biology room."

Tsuna's eyes went wide as the scratching continued. Who was the closest to the window? He tried to picture the position of his friends but he couldn't remember. Silence ensued. The scratching stopped. No one said a word.

"Little Vongola," The voice was playful but menacing. "When I kick you down," He lowered to a whisper, "You're supposed to stay down."

The next thing Tsuna heard was a gasp coming from Gokudera's direction. He whipped around to watch his friend's figure fall to the ground; no one in sight. "Gokudera?"

Ryohei became angry as Tsuna rushed to find Gokudera lying on the floor. As his anger grew, so did his flame. He clenched his fists and the room lit up enough to see each other's faces as if by a small campfire. "Where are you, bastard?" Ryohei twirled, straining his eyes to find the perpetrator.

"Sorry Little Sun Guardian, we all have our targets and you're not mine. But don't fret; your turn will come soon. Farewell, Little Vongola, it was a pleasure hurting you." The voice was heard no more; Ryohei punched the nearest wall.

Next to Gokudera, Tsuna tried desperately to see where his friend was injured. The first place Tsuna sought blindly was Storm's shoulder. From there, he felt his neck, his pulse, and moved his hand down to his chest. There Tsuna felt something wet. Biting his lip hard, he realized this must have been where the enemy hit him; either that or Gokudera was bleeding from his old wounds more than he had let on. Tsuna let out his breath sharply, hatred rising up. He felt power pulse through him, his ring beginning to glow. No way would he just watch Gokudera get hurt. No way would he sit here as the attacker ran free.

The room became lighter as Tsuna's flame grew stronger. Closing his eyes, he let the hatred consume him just enough to gain as much power as he wished. "Stop."

Everyone froze. Ryohei looked around. Wasn't that man already gone? Can Tsuna sense him with the Dying Will? Tsuna stood up, something wet dripped from the hand he placed on Gokudera's chest. He opened his eyes, "I'm not willing to play cat and mouse."

Ryohei was startled by Tsuna's sudden fierceness. Despite his typical bravery, he took a step back. What gave Tsuna so much power? Could he really catch and kill the man who hurt Gokudera? Tsuna was gone in an instant, leaving Ryohei breathless. Where did he go? It was then that Ryohei knew what a powerful Mafia boss Tsuna could become. Ryohei was frozen. He wanted to move, wanted to help, but knew not where to go. The room had gone completely dark and soundless. Had Reborn gone with him? He must have or else he would have said something by now.

Ryohei shook himself and recovered his bravery. Finding his way to the abandoned desk, he felt through all the draws until he came across a long cylinder shape. Feeling for a button or switch, he managed to turn on the flashlight and could run an attendance check. He found Chrome first, shaking slightly as she stood alone. He moved the light in the direction she was staring and found Gokudera lying on the ground, Lambo fearfully burying his head into Gokudera's hand.

Ryohei slid to Gokudera's side and assessed his wounds; he was bleeding profusely from his chest. Looking closer, Ryohei discovered it was a deep slice from a knife. The Sun guardian closed his eyes hard and took a deep breath before attempting to heal his friend's wounds with his flame.

Tsuna was on the roof, a favorite battlefield for his opponent. Reborn was assessing the situation from afar, not eager to participate in the conflict. Tsuna could not see the man, but he saw his figure. "I'll make you sorry for what you did to my friends."

The man laughed, "Oh, naïve Vongola, when you've been in the Mafia as long as I have, each killing is more exciting. I won't ever be sorry."

Tsuna's hatred rose, "You have not killed either of them."

"Oh, no?" The high quality of sound in his voice suggested he was smiling, "Well, I don't think they'll last much longer. See, we like to watch our victims suffer. Killing on the spot, well, that's no fun at all. This way, more pain is inflicted all around."

Tsuna had heard enough. He struck with full force at the man and hit him square on the back. Knives flew from the flying form and Tsuna evaded all but one, which struck him in the arm. "I'm not supposed to kill you, Vongola. You're supposed to be boss's prey."

Tsuna wondered briefly who the boss of the Shimon was, but assumed it was Adelheid. "How could you do this?" Tsuna demanded, his voice not showing an ounce of pain from his arm, "We trusted you!"

No reply came; Tsuna was struck on his thigh with a small knife. Not allowing himself to react, he spun in the direction of the knife and tackled the man. Before being able to see the face, he was kicked impressively to the side. Landing on his feet, Tsuna saw the opening. He stood and summoned all his might, striking the mysterious man on the side of the head and sending him off the side of the hospital. The canal at the bottom prevented him from being found.

"Well done, Tsuna." Reborn said this without smiling, without any real appreciation at all. Tsuna considered this was because of the condition of the family and the inability to find out exactly whom it was who hurt Gokudera.

The sun created a gentle pink sky in the distance. Tsuna felt the end of a very long night drawing nearer. Never before had he been so grateful for sunrise.

Ryohei had not wholly healed Gokudera, but he believed he had saved his friend from dying. Tsuna rushed in and joined Ryohei at Gokudera's side. Ryohei cast him a knowing glance and was inwardly beaming with the knowledge that whoever did this was long gone. "I don't know how extreme his condition is, Sawada, but I know he's breathing."

Tsuna thanked him sincerely and stared down at his very close friend. "I'm so sorry; never again will I let this happen to my family."

Reborn piped up, "And the ceremony?"

There was a short pause and a deep breath before Tsuna turned to face the small hit man; "It will go on as intended." _I want to become as strong as I can in order to protect my friends and family. If that means doing something dangerous like this, then so be it. I will never watch Yamamoto or Gokudera or anyone fall again._


	6. The Ceremony Arrives

This is the last chapter; I hope you all enjoyed it. I loved writing this fanfic and I've received such great comments. Thank you so much for the support! I hope you all check out my other works =)

"I'm going," His voice was cold, adamant.

Tsuna found himself looking into the rebellious green eyes of Gokudera, once more trying to surmount his friend's determination. Tsuna was entirely mystified when Gokudera insisted on attending the ceremony, even in his condition. "No, you're not."

"Tenth," Gokudera pushed himself into a sitting position, once again in the hospital bed. "I cannot miss this. I would never forgive myself."

"For getting hurt? That's not your fault, its mine. I want you to stay in bed and get some rest. I'm not letting you get hurt again."

Gokudera blinked twice before replying, "I admire your concern for me, Tenth, but you can't keep me in here unless you plan on hurting me yourself."

Tsuna stared at his friend with disbelief; how could anyone be so stubborn? Tsuna had no intentions of hurting Gokudera, nor did he want to upset him. Gokudera, however, was supposed to be in critical condition and the hospital would _not _be happy with him checking out as he is. The future boss bit his lip. "Gokudera-,"

"No." His voice was resolute and cold, probably more so than he meant it to be. His eyes softened after he realized, "Tenth, if I stay here, I'll just be thinking all day about how I failed." He lowered his eyes, "About how I couldn't take revenge for Yamamoto."

Tsuna had not realized how close the two had become over the months. Gokudera _wanted_ to take revenge; he _wanted_ Yamamoto to heal. Tsuna recognized that the two had been together often, but he never took into consideration that maybe they had become friends. And now, seeing the look on Gokudera's face, Tsuna understood. _That_ is why he took off back to Namimori last night; why he risked his life to kill the man who hurt their Rain guardian. "Gokudera, I understand what you're going through. Trust me, I do. But unless you want to further injure yourself, you need to stay here and rest."

"Tenth—," Gokudera tried to argue further but Ryohei burst through the door.

"Sawada, it is a gorgeous day, to the extreme! Perfect for the ceremony! Ah, Gokudera, you're awake." The last remark was spoken with a genuine smile and a softer voice.

"I hear it's thanks to you, turf-head," Gokudera said, trying his best to hide any real gratitude.

"No thanks necessary, octopus-head," Ryohei replied, grinning larger than what Gokudera thought humanly possible. He sent a look of disgust towards the Sun guardian.

Tsuna remained quiet during their encounter, smiling to himself. Ryohei could act fanatical now, but Tsuna would never forget the serious man he saw last night. Ryohei could really be counted on and dull down when it mattered most.

"So what's going on in here, Sawada?" Ryohei asked, still smiling.

"Gokudera wants to come,"

Ryohei's smile faded for a moment before he guffawed. "That's stupid, to the extreme!"

Gokudera's eyes narrowed, "What are you saying, idiot?"

Ryohei stopped laughing and looked at Gokudera evenly, "I'm saying no man can influence the actions of another! Sawada can not _make_ you stay here; as a human, you're free to push yourself to whatever limits you set!"

Tsuna stared at Ryohei for a long time before he could say even one word, "But it's not safe!"

Gokudera looked at Tsuna gently, "I'm sorry, Tenth, but I wouldn't miss this ceremony for the world. And I wouldn't pass up the chance to find and kill that man who hurt Yamamoto. You got the one who hurt me, now it's my turn."

"But—,"

"Gokudera's determined, to the extreme, Sawada! Let him make his own decisions; let him learn from his own mistakes." Ryohei's smile was still in place, but it wasn't as strong or nearly as big.

Tsuna closed his eyes and shook his head, defeated. Gokudera was right; he wouldn't be kept here unless Tsuna _forced _him. Tsuna did take some comfort in knowing he would be by Gokudera's side all day and could keep an eye on him. He did not like, however, that they would be surrounded by armed families all day. Anything could go wrong.

Tsuna turned away from Gokudera, away from Ryohei, and faced the wall with his eyes closed. He thought about how much Gokudera wanted to get even with the Shimon family for Yamamoto. He did _not_ want that to make the Storm reckless again. But, Tsuna would be with his all or most of the day.

"Fine," Tsuna said quietly, defeated.

Gokudera beamed, "Thank you, Tenth!"

Ryohei laughed and made eye contact with Tsuna. In Ryohei's eyes, Tsuna saw a promise. Ryohei was promising to protect Gokudera at the ceremony. Tsuna nodded his gratitude before Ryohei stepped out.

"You better be careful, Gokudera."

"No problem, Tenth!"

Tsuna grimaced at how excited Gokudera was, but walked out silently. He saw Reborn beckon to him and he moved closer towards the baby hit man.

"Tsuna," Reborn greeted him with a smile but returned to seriously shortly after Tsuna looked up. "About the ceremony today…"


End file.
